Graham Gets Back To Work With Bucs Earnest Graham kept his word. The Bucs running back told the Tribune on Saturday that he would end his holdout from offseason workouts this week, and there he was Tuesday, running alongside Warrick Dunn for the first time and catching dump-offs from Jeff Garcia at the team's minicamp. As for fellow holdout Chris Simms, it appears he still can't bring himself to look Bucs coach Jon Gruden in the eye. Further emphasizing his long-stated desire to be cut or traded, the quarterback continued to stay away from One Buc Place. This absence, though, will cost him. This minicamp is mandatory, and anyone who does not attend can be fined as much as $8,000 per day. That fine increases to $14,000 per day when training camp begins on July 25, but Simms says he doesn't intend to skip training camp. After going through his first workout this offseason, Graham, the Bucs' 2008 rushing leader, didn't rule out the possibility of missing the start of camp if his contract squabble remains unresolved. "As of right now, I'm going to be there," Graham said of training camp. "Hopefully, something gets done before then. I won't say anything whether or not I'll be there. I'm being optimistic about the contract getting done, but I don't know. I think it will be done." The Bucs have said pretty much the same thing. Though he didn't express the same confidence about Simms' situation, General Manager Bruce Allen said last week that he "assumed" everything would work itself out with Graham. Gruden reiterated that point on Tuesday. "These matters have a way of working themselves out," Gruden said. "Graham is a key member of our football team. I don't know where Chris is, and as I said, I like him a lot and I wish him the best in our situation. But I'm going to coach the guys that are here." For now, that includes Graham, who has been working out on his own. To many, including linebacker Derrick Brooks, he looked as if he had been on hand all along. "He did well today; looked good," Brooks said. "He made a couple of cuts there where you could tell he's been working." "Earnest is in great shape," Gruden said. "There is some terminology he needs to pick up, but he'll do that because that's the kind of pro he is. I'm not concerned about him." Nor is Graham concerned about winning back his starting job. He said he has grown accustomed to fighting for playing time and that the addition of Dunn doesn't make this season any different. "I've been here for five years, been through a lot of players - Thomas Jones, Michael Pittman. This is just another year," Graham said. "I'd like to be there getting significant playing time, whether I'm starting or not, from the beginning of the year." Graham didn't get his first start until Week 6 but still ran 222 times for a team-best 898 yards and caught 49 passes for 324 more. For that, he has asked for a raise from the $605,000 he is slated to make in the last year of his contract. He is not alone. Garcia also has asked for a raise. So have defensive linemen Greg White and Jovan Haye. None have received the payoffs they are looking for. So far, only Graham has chosen to skip any workouts. That isn't all that unusual. He skipped a lot of the Bucs' voluntary workouts last year as well. That was part of the original plan this year, too, he said. But it's obvious the contract situation played a part. "What has to be done sometimes has to be done," Graham said. "But I'm not really stressing it. The time frame and everything, it just needs to get done. They know that, I know that and I think because of that it will happen." Whether Simms eventually gets what he wants is equally uncertain. After talking to Simms on Monday, Allen said Tuesday he believes Simms has a future in football. What he wouldn't say is whether that future is with the Bucs. It is looking increasingly as though it is not. Allen said again Tuesday that the Bucs must get down to an 80-man limit by the start of camp, which means cutting as many as 11 players. Simms, whose absence was deemed "unexcused" by Allen, could be one of them because the Bucs are no longer sure they can take five quarterbacks to camp. Roy Cummings, The Tampa Tribune 18 June 2008